Variable pricing for donations and tips

Variable pricing lets customers choose how much they pay for a product at checkout. You can present a set of predefined amounts, allow free-entry above a minimum, or both. It is most commonly used for donation products and pay-what-you-want pricing, but can also be adapted to allow for adding tips at an on-site business.

How it works

When variable pricing is enabled on a price book entry, customers see a pricing picker on the product page instead of a fixed price. The product’s Price (or Sale Price, if set) acts as the minimum — customers cannot pay less than this amount.

You can also set predefined amounts for customers to select from, and optionally set a maximum to cap contributions. Here’s what it looks like.

Enable variable pricing on a product

Variable pricing is configured per price book entry, not on the product itself. This lets you apply variable pricing in specific price books while keeping a fixed price in others.

1. Open the product in Salesforce and go to its Price Book Entries related list.
2. Open the Price Book Entry for the price book you want to configure.
3. Check Enable Variable Pricing (s_c__Enable_Variable_Pricing__c).
4. Set the Price (or Sale Price) to the minimum amount you want to allow. Customers cannot pay less than this value.

5. In Variable Pricing Options (s_c__Variable_Pricing_Options__c), select the preset amounts you want to offer at checkout. The available amounts are $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,000, $5,000, and $10,000. Select Other Amount to allow customers to type in any amount above the minimum.

   :::tip For a typical donation setup, select a few mid-range amounts (for example, $50, $100, $250) and also select Other Amount so donors can give any amount they choose. :::

6. Select Save.

Select at least one value in Variable Pricing Options. If it is empty, the product sells at its Price (or Sale Price) on the web store and at the POS, even though the web product page still shows an amount field.

Preset amounts in detail

Variable Pricing Options is a multiselect picklist with fixed values. The available preset amounts are $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,000, $5,000, and $10,000. If you need a specific amount that is not listed (for example, $25), set the product’s minimum Price to that amount instead and rely on Other Amount for free entry.

• Select one or more preset amounts to show as quick-select buttons at checkout.
• Select Other Amount to add a free-entry field alongside any preset buttons.
• You can combine presets with Other Amount — customers see both buttons and the free-entry field.

Set a maximum amount

To cap the amount a customer can pay, set Variable Pricing Max Amount (s_c__Variable_Pricing_Max_Amount__c) on the price book entry. Leave it blank to allow any amount above the minimum.

You can also use Variable Pricing Min Amount (s_c__Variable_Pricing_Min_Amount__c) to set a minimum that is higher than the product’s base price — useful if you want a floor above zero while keeping the listed price lower.

:::note On the web store, Price (or Sale Price) is enforced when the item is added to the cart. Variable Pricing Min Amount and Variable Pricing Max Amount are checked on the product page in the base theme. Where both minimums are set, the higher one applies. :::

Set up recurring donations

Variable pricing can be combined with a subscription product to accept recurring donations. When a customer checks out, they choose their donation amount — that amount is then charged automatically on each renewal cycle.

:::note Subscription pricing only supports fixed price. The amount a donor chooses at checkout is stored as their recurring charge (the Term Price on their Subscription record) and is used for every subsequent renewal. Donors cannot change their amount between cycles without re-purchasing. :::

Step 1: Configure the product

1. Open the Product record and check Virtual — donation products do not ship.

2. Scroll to the Subscription section and set the following fields:

   Field	Example value	Notes
   Subscription Pricing	Fixed Price	The only supported value
   Subscription Type	Evergreen	The donation continues until the donor cancels
   Subscription Term	28	The number of units between charges
   Subscription Term Unit	Day	Combined with Term 28, this charges every 28 days
   Subscription Behavior	Always Process, Always Charge	Automatically charges the saved payment method each cycle

3. Select Save.

For a calendar-month cycle instead of a 28-day cycle, set Subscription Term to 1 and Subscription Term Unit to Month.

See Subscription products for the full set of subscription configuration options.

Step 2: Enable variable pricing on the price book entry

Follow the steps in Enable variable pricing on a product to set a minimum donation amount and optional predefined amounts. The price the customer selects at checkout is charged on every subsequent renewal.

POS support

Staff can sell a variable-priced product at the register, for example to take a donation at the counter. When staff add the product to the cart, a Select a price window lists the preset amounts, plus a Custom amount field when Other Amount is selected.

The register differs from the web store in three ways:

• Minimum — only Variable Pricing Min Amount is enforced. Price and Sale Price are not a minimum at the register.
• Options — with Variable Pricing Options empty, no window opens and the product sells at its Price.
• Connection — the register must be online. Offline, Add to cart stays disabled.

Variable Pricing Max Amount applies to the custom amount at the register, as on the web store.

For example, with Price set to 10 and no Variable Pricing Min Amount, a web shopper pays at least $10 but staff can enter $5 at the register. Set Variable Pricing Min Amount to 10 to apply the same floor at the register.